Mail Bid Auction 57

Auction ended on January 5, 2024

Lot Number 21

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1809 15% Off Center -  O.106 prime R.4 PCGS Genuine - Gd. Details

A jaw-dropping off-center bust half.  Low grade with scratches.  The surfaces are otherwise smooth and naturally toned.  Major bust-half errors are exceedingly rare.  The few significant collections may be counted on one hand.  Stew Witham, Russ Logan and Henry Hilgard were stewards of major bust-half errors from the 1960s through 2013.  Logan acquired Witham’s best pieces when Stew stopped collecting in the early 1980s.  Hilgard already had an important error collection and stepped up when Logan’s collection was auctioned in 2002.  When Henry passed away in 2013 I sold his still unrivaled collection intact to Dr. Charles Link.  Photos and descriptions of the Hilgard/Link collection are available on my website: https://www.sheridanscoins.com/hilgard.php.  The coin offered here appeared unheralded, unattributed and without comment or provenance in an April 2022 auction conducted by Great Collections (lot 1146334).  Jeff spotted it and against stern competition prevailed at $2,644.  It is worth noting that the Hilgard/Link collection includes an 1809 O.105 15% off-center, graded VG 08 by PCGS.  (Coin #5 in the list on my website.)  The Oertel coin retains more detail than the Hilgard/Link coin.

Estimate: $2,000 to $3,000

Sheridan Downey, Numismatist
4400 Keller Ave., Suite 140, PMB 398
Oakland, California 94605
sdowney3@aol.com
(510) 479-1585